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18 June 2010

Job Change

Perhaps the signs of a time of change are getting closer than out on the horizon. As I am in the rut of not being able to win, I contemplate more and more whether the time has come for yet another job change. Two days in a row of enduring bad things not of my making.
Case 1 was yesterday on an uphill grade in an approximate 3 mile stretch of freeway. My 33,000 GVW Kenworth was fairly well loaded so throttle response was challenging in the morning rush hour traffic. I was boxed into my lane from the left with only the shoulder to my right. The issue was the car that I was trailing as I tried to maintain a steady speed. The old guy, I'd say sixty something, constantly changed speed and rarely touched the speed limit. As he would get going I would nurse the rig back toward the 65 MPH limit and eventually end up on his bumper as he slowed while I was working to get back to the posted speed. This happened at least three times, maybe four. Finally the road leveled out and an opening presented itself to my left. I took the opportunity to pass him. As I went by I looked down to see him snap a picture of my passenger door with his phone camera. I lamented over the next hour how I would explain it to the person who would call me from the office about someone who complained about me tailgating him. How would I proclaim my innocence in a believable fashion. I guess I should have driven 50 MPH and allowed him to have plenty of room for his erratic practices.
Case 2 was today on a stretch of freeway that had two lanes for entering traffic and three lanes for the flowing traffic. Again it was the morning rush hour leaving limited room for maneuvering. A vehicle entering the freeway jumped across two lanes of traffic and landed between me and the car I was following. There was a margin of about ten feet from my bumper to his as he dove into the 50 MPH traffic. As the car to my left cleared my front bumper I quickly filled in behind it and began to accelerate. Just then his left turn signal came on. As I passed him I looked down to find an enraged face and the old one finger salute. I moved back to the right after passing the string of traffic and moments later he flew on by and I noticed his Michigan license plate. I couldn't help but think how miserable his 10-12 hour drive would be if he was heading back to MI and if he maintained that attitude. I guess I should have known that my spot was his and that he also had the lane to the left reserved and I shouldn't have gotten off of his bumper.
What do you do? Maybe it is time for me to get off of the road.